History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

A hard and brutal life What happened to children in Victorian London who were orphaned, or whose parents couldn’t look after them? In the absence of any state care or benefit, many families had to find their own solution to this problem. As a last resort there was the Workhouse, but admission was not automatic, and came with its own strict set of rules and restrictions. Kilburn had several establishments that took in orphans, destitute and abandoned children. These Homes were financed by donations and bequests; when a donor withdrew their help, the resulting shortfall in funds had to be replaced by finding new benefactors. A Home had to appeal to the public. If this didn’t happen it closed. In this story we look at two Homes for girls that began life in the same street, Cambridge Road, (the northern stretch was later re-named Cambridge Avenue). They occupied converted houses that were adequate but not ideal for the purpose. Today, all the houses have been demolished and redeveloped....

The recent commemoration of the centenary of the First World War has focused many people’s thoughts on the service men and women who fought, died and survived the conflict. But millions of animals and birds also died alongside the troops. The memorial to ‘Animals in War’ in Park Lane was unveiled on 24 November 2004. An inscription reads, ‘They had no choice.’ However, Kilburn is home to a much earlier memorial to the nation’s service animals.  The Kilburn Clinic at 10 Cambridge Avenue (Dick Weindling)   H orses, dogs and donkeys were the most commonly used animals – mainly for transport and haulage, but camels, elephants, pigeons, bullocks, dogs and goats were all pressed into service. They suffered from exposure, lack of food and disease, dying alongside their human companions. The Park Lane memorial was the fulfilment of an idea that dates as far back as the early 1920s when the RSPCA proposed a memorial for animals that had served in WWI. A commi...